Gig: Mountains In The Sky + Robin Fox @ Northcote Social Club 12/10/06

Well, I finally saw a band, the first since arriving in Melbourne. First time at the Northcote Social Club, too.

It wasn't very busy. Mountains In The Sky were (was?) releasing their (his?) single Accipio and I don't think the word of mouth has gotten out yet. Great sound and all but a little spoilt by the support act.

Where do I begin? Robin Fox's laser show promised to be a thrilling mix of smoke, laser and electronic music. What it turned out to be was pretty smoke, pretty lasers and a cacophony of noise ranging from the really annoying sound your television used to make when they played the test pattern and the sound an electric drill makes when it is being forced into your ear by a kabuki artist. Horrid.

Pretty lights, nasty nasty sounds. The whole scene ended up resembling something similar to a mind washing seminar from a seventies b-film.

Now, I'm not adverse to experimental electronica but there has to be at least a modicum of structure to the work. Robin Fox's efforts sounded like Stravinsky with ADD. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if there were no planning whatsoever put into last night's work. A four year old with fleeting hands and a panel full of knobs could have done exactly the same. Hell, train a monkey or a parakeet up, at least then it would be avant garde.

I fear now that this whole post is going to be taken up with bitching about the support act so I'll move on.

And the audience clapped... there must have been some good drugs being passed around. All I can say is it scared two of our party off home before MitS even hit the stage.

Okay, here we go.

MitS were the complete opposite (except for the knob twisting part). There was a real feeling of flow in their music and live it sounds just as good as their produced work. Then again, there wasn't all that much going on outside of the laptop and the mixing panel. The drums were extra and one of them pulled out an electric guitar at one stage.

Actually, fuck this. It was good but it lacked the punch of an acoustic set.

Then again I was tired.

And I'd just seen a really shithouse laser show.

Tags: music, gig, Melbourne